William Gordon was born to
Thomas Gordon and Mary Buffington on the 16th
of August 1787 in Spartanburg District, South Carolina.

The Grave of Thomas Gordon, Rev.
War. at Snellville, GA

Williams father Thomas was a first
generation American and a soldier of the American
Revolution. His mother Mary was a second generation
American and her father was a veteran of the American
Revolution.

He was born during the administration of
President George Washington at the time of the
Philadelphia Convention when the Constitution was
completed.

Nothing is known of his youth except from
census records. His family lived in Oglethorpe County,
Georgia when he was ten years old. His twin brother and
sister , Few and Buffington, were born there on the 17th
of January 1797.

In 1800 his family may have been back in
Spartanburg because his sister Mary was born there on the
10th of January that year.

William married Martha Patsy
Baker in 1813. He was twenty six and she twenty two years
old. Patsy was the daughter of Charles Baker and Mary
Clark. She was born in Burke County, North Carolina on
the 29th of January 1791.

Mary A., their first child, was born on
the 6th of May 1814. She married a Mr.
Compton. Nothing more is known of her.

Their second child, James, was born the
13th of January 1816. He lived to be thirty
five, dying in September 1851. Nothing more is known of
him.

Their third child, Newman, was born the
30th of June 1818. He died at the age of
twenty, on the 10th of September 1838. Nothing
more is known of him.

Jarrett, their fourth child, was born the
9th of January 1821. He and his decendents are
mentioned in Williams will but nothing more is
known of him.

William witnessed a deed for his
father-in-law in Habersham County, Georgia in 1823. This
might indicate that they were living there at that time
but there is no other evidence to support that.

William and Patsys fifth child,
Elizabeth Ann, was born on the 14th of
November 1825. She married a Mr. Henson. Nothing more is
known of her.

From the Gwinnett County Georgia Court of
the Ordinary, March 1825: ordered that Richard Plunket,
Aaron Brown and Gordon be commissioners to mark out a
road from the high shoals of the Alcova River to
Lawrenceville. Lawrenceville was the county seat. Being
commissioned to do road and other infrastructure
tasks by the county court was a form of taxation that was
common in that era.

Their sixth child, William Thomason, was
born the 14th of November 1825. He married
Ella F. Nix. He died in Pine Log, Georgia on the 19th
of April 1891. Nothing more is known of him.

Williams father, Thomas Gordon,
died in Gwinnett County, Georgia the 23rd of
January 1826. He is buried in a small private plot along
with eleven others on part of what was once his farm. His
is the only grave marked. The Daughters of the American
Revolution erected a marker there honoring him as a
Revolutionary soldier.

William and Patsys seventh child,
Martha, was born the 19th of June 1828. She
married A. J. Wood. Nothing more is known of her.

They were in Gwinnett County for the
census of 1830. The census counts the children and their
ages. The census also included a list of slave owners and
the number of slaves they owned. The Gordons had seven
slaves.

From the Inferior Court minutes 1830:
William Gordon, foreman of petit jury.

From the Inferior Court minutes, August
1831: Nathaniel L. Hutchins, letter of administration
estate of Thomas Hunt. Security: William Gordon.

John F., William and Patsys eighth
child, born the 10th of October 1831. He lived only nine
years dying the 30th of November 1840.

From the Inferior Court minutes of
January 1834: Glesha Winn, letter of temporary
administration estate of George Bishop. Security: William
Gordon.

George W., their ninth child, was born on
the 17th of September 1834. He died three
years later on the 13th of June 1837.

From the Inferior Court minutes June
1835: William Gordon, juror.

William served in the Creek Indian War of
1836 in Captain Benjamin Gholstons Gwinnett
Grays company. His brother Few and his future
father-in-law, James D. Peden, served in the same
company. The company was part of the Georgia Militia
under the command of Colonel James Austin. William saw no
action. One of James Pedens sons was killed in
action.

William served, in 1837, on the
commission to bury the eight young men of Captain Harman
Garmanys company who had lost their lives at
Shepherds Plantation fighting the Creek Indians. The
commission buried the men in a mass grave on the court
house square in Lawrenceville on Friday the 17th
of February 1837. A monument was later erected on the
site in their honor.

Captain James C. Winn, Fanins
Brigade, Texas Revolution, who died in the Texas war was
also honored on the same monument.

From the Inferior Court minutes of
January 1838: Nathaniel L. Hutchins, letter of
administration estate of Alonzo G. von Volkingburg.
Security: William Gordon.

The General Assembly of Gwinnett County
of 1837 established the Lawrenceville Female Seminary.
The seminary was publicly held with one hundred shares of
common stock. William purchased three shares on the first
offering.

Williams mother, Mary Buffington
Gordon, died in Gwinnett County on the 3rd of
August 1837 at the age of seventy seven.

William served in Captain Matthew T.
Hamiltons company of the Georgia Militia, then
under command of General Winfield Scott, from May 1838 to
May 1839, in New Echota, Cherokee Indian Nation, Georgia,
to remove the Cherokee Indians to the Oklahoma Territory.

Martha Patsy Baker Gordon
died in Lawrenceville on the 17th of February
1840. She was survived by her husband, three sons and
three daughters; Jarret, William Thomason, John F., Mary
A., Elizabeth Ann and Martha. She was fourty nine years
old and had been married to William for twenty seven
years. Her youngest son died that same year.

Patsy was buried in the town cemetery,
now an historical preserve named The Pioneers
Cemetery.

The census of 1840 shows William to be a
farmer. Although it does not list land holdings value or
personal wealth it does show that he owned eight slaves.

From the Greenville Mountaineer, a
Greenville, South Carolina newspaper dated 15th
April 1841:  Married in Gwinnett County, Georgia on
April 1st by Reverend Mr. Wilson, Mr. William
Gordon and Miss Mary E., eldest daughter of Mr. James
Peden, formerly of Greenville District, S.C..

Mary Evaline Peden was thirty one years
old , born the 21st of October 1810 in
Greenville District, South Carolina, to James Peden and
Jane Brown Peden. William was fifty four years in 1841.

William and Marys first child,
Charles C. P., was born in 1842. He married a Miss Orlena
A.____ in Texas. Nothing more is known of him.

From the Inferior Court minutes of
January 1842: Thomas B. Gordon, letter of guardianship of
George A. Gordon, orphan and minor of George A. Gordon,
deceased. Security: William Gordon. Two more letters of
guardianship followed for orphans Elizabeth R. and Susan
B. Gordon.

From the Southern Banner dated 17th
of March 1843: Margaret Teressa Peden, second
daughter of James Peden, late of Greenville, S.C., died
at the home of William Gordon near Lawrenceville,
February 17, 1843.

Terissa J., William and Marys
second child was born in 1844. She married a Mr. Lowe.
She died in Granbury, Hood County, Texas in 1879. Nothing
more is known of her.

From the Greenville Mountaineer of 15
November 1844:  Died, Mrs. Jane Peden, consort of
Mr. James Peden, aged 72 years, near Lawrenceville,
Gwinnett County, Georgia, on October 28th.
Jane Peden was Marys mother.

William and Mary moved to Pine Log, Cass
County (now Bartow County), Georgia some time during the
year 1844.

Their third child was Julia Emma, born in
Pine Log on the 28th of January 1845. Julia
married Wesley Newell Freeman in Bluff Dale, Erath
County, Texas in 1882. Wesley died in 1891. Julia did not
marry again. She died the 10th of December
1915. She was survived by one son, Olin Knight Freeman.

From the Inferior Court minutes of
Gwinnette County, May 1845: William Gordon, letter of
guardianshipof Susan S., orphan and minor of George A.
Gordon, deceased. Security: R.M. Cleveland.

Alonzo P., William and Mary,s fourth
child was born in Pine Log in 1847. He married Miss Lana
Wright. He was a merchant and established the first dry
goods store in Grandbury, Texas. He died there in 1921.

Their fifth child was Flavius Josephus.
He was born in Pine Log the 21st of February
1849. He married Miss Ophelia Love. He was a medical
doctor and practised in Erath and Hood counties in Texas.
He died in Stephensville, Texas the 23rd of
December 1918.

Isabella, their sixth child, was born in
Pine Log in November 1850. She married Dr. H.L. Holt
of Erath County, Texas. She had many children and
gave each the second name Gordon, both boys and girls.

William Gordon died in Pine Log on the 24th
of May 1852 at the age of sixty five. He was survived by
his wife and nine children: Mary A., William Thomason and
Martha from his first marriage and Charles C. P.,
Terrissa J., Julia E., Alonzo P., Flavius Josephus and
Isabella from his marriage with Mary. Mary had another
son shortly after William died. William was father to
sixteen children and was survived by ten.

He had a long and successful life. He
provided well for his family during his life and after
his death.

The
Gravesite of William Gordon
16 Aug 1787 - 24 May 1852
Aged 65

Last
Will & Testament of William Gordon

State of Georgia:
Cass County :

I, William Gordon, of the county and
state afore said, being mindful of the uncertainty of
life and being feeble in body but of sound and disposing
mind and memory, do make and constitute this as my last
will and testament.

Item 1st:
To my wife, Mary Evaline Gordon, and her
children that she has or may have by me, I hereby will
and bequeath the following property, viz: all the
plantation where I now live being lots nos.(295) two
hundred and ninety five (318) three hundred and eighteen
in the 23rd District, 2nd Section
and four negros, viz: Harriet, Elliot, Bob and Harry and
all my horses, mules, cattle, hogs and stock of every
description, all of my household, kitchen furniture, all
of my farming tools of every description, my waggon and
all my geary and all vehickles whatever belonging to
the farm and all the crops of every description that may
be on hand. All of the above mentioned property I leave
in the hands of my wife Mary, to be used by her at her
discretion for the support and education of my children
by her, to be kept together until her youngest child
shall arrive at the age of twenty one or marry and then
the above mentioned property to be equally divided
between my wife, if married, and her children, each child
receiving an equal share with my wife, and if my wife
sees proper she can settle and pay each child its
portion of the property afore mentioned as they arrive at
the age of twenty one or marry, and in case my wife shall
not use the property as afore mentioned for the support
and education of my children as directed, then it shall
be the duty of my executor to make such fact known to the
court of the ordinary and the court is satisfied of said
fact shall order my executors herein after named to take
possession of the afore mentioned property and apply it
as directed.

Item 2nd:
I desire the following named negros, to wit: Seborn a
man, Charlot a woman, Manerva a woman, Rosilla a girl,
Bill a boy, Cuny a boy, George a boy and a girl child of
Manerva about one month old, to be sold by my executors
herein after named and after paying all my just debts out
of the money arising from the sale of said negros, the
balance be equally divided between my children by my
first wife herein after named having reference to the
amount I have heretofore paid each of them, to wit: to
the children of Jarret Gordon when they arrive at age, to
whom I have heretofore paid two hundred and seventy
dollars.

Mary A. Compton, to whom I have paid
fifty dollars.

Clarett Gordon, to whom I have paid sixty
five dollars.

Elizabeth Ann Henson, to whom I have paid
one hundred and twenty eight dollars.

William T. Gordon, to whom I have paid
one hundred and fifty dollars.

Martha Wood, to whom I have paid fifty
dollars.

And in the event any of my last mentioned
children shall die without issue then their portion of
said estate be equally divided between my last living
children.

Item 3rd:
And if my wife Mary or any of her children should die
then their portion shall be divided equally to their
whole sisters and brothers living.

Item 4th: I
appoint my friend William C. Wiley sole executor of this
my last will and testament this March 20th
1852.

(signed) William Gordon

Signed, sealed and declared and published
by William Gordan as his last will and testament in the
presence of us the subscribers, who subscribe our names
hereto in the presence of said testator at his special
instance and request and of each others this March 20th.

(signed) William T. Wofford, A.G.
Garness, James Peden

Mary was pregnant with their seventh
child when William died. Lafayette Gordon was born
shortly after Williams death in 1852. Nothing more
is known of him.

The 1860 census shows that Mary was still
farming in Pine Log and had real estate valued at $3000
and personal wealth valued at $1240. Her seven children
were living with her on the farm.

Mary moved the family to Texas around
1862 to what was to become Grandbury, Hood County after
the Civil War.

The family prospered in Texas. Mary had
educated her children well and they became the heads of
prominent families in Hood and Erath counties.

Mary Evaline Peden Gordon died in
Granbury on the 15th of May 1879 at the age of
sixty eight.